Farah Official Starter Of Great North Run

Mo Farah will be watching the start of the upcoming Great North Run. Photo: PhotoRun.net

The double Olympic gold medalist regrets not racing it.

Mo Farah will be taking part in the upcoming Great North Run in England. But “taking part” doesn’t mean racing in it. Instead, the Somali-born British citizen will be acting as the race’s official starter.

He will be joined by British Olympians: rower Kat Copeland, long jumper Greg Rutherford, boxer Nicola Adams, and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds.

“I’m sorry not to be able to take part in the Bupa Great North Run but the last few weeks have taken their toll and it would be disrespectful to take on the distance without the necessary hard training,” he said.

Farah is coached by former New York City and Boston Marathon winner Alberto Salazar.

He says he is looking forward to “high-fiving” as many of the 55,000 runners as possible.

In other Great North Run news, Haile Gebrselassie, the former marathon world-record holder, will not be taking part in the race. He said he is experiencing knee problems. The Ethiopian had won the race, a half marathon, in 2010.